Factory Girl

The biographical film on Edie Sedgwick, staring Sienna Miller and Guy Pierce as Andy Warhol tells an intriguing and controversial story of the pop art in the 60's. It concentrates on the premise that being famous is more than anything else, and for an eccentric filmmaker is enough to use a celebrity to make money out of his art. I got engaged with it, moreover started reading about the people whose characters are built on and developed. Apparantely the facts are a bit more different than what is presented in the movie, but that's what it takes to raise the interest to watch it. "The Factory" is Andy Warhol's studio for filmaking, graphic art and painting. As a whole the film looks really good, amazing cinematograophy, especially when they use the black and white shots. Furthermore, the art department has done a great job with the costumes, jewelry and the image of the characters. Everything is exactly in a graphic art style and looks wanderful. I think this is the first film I watch with Sienna Miller in it, and so far so good.

That's Entertainment!

A brilliant documentary on the transition from silent pictures to talkies! It covers major points of the advantages and disadvantages created by the coming of sound. For example, many actors and actresses fail to make the transition, because of their shrilling voices. Moreover, sound creates many technical problems with recording in the very first place, also limits the mobility of the camera. On the other hand, it's possible to build and develop characters and new genres are introduced. There is no doubt that MGM is the studio that produces the greatest musicals ever made. Those grand, lavish and elaborate performances give birth to new stars who become emblematic of the genre of musical, such as Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire Judy Garland, Esther Williams and so on. I was quite surprised to find that even James Stewart and Clark Gable have been in musicals! Technically, all the stars from the 20's 30's 40's are in MGM! Actually, while watching That's Entertainment I was so engulfed by the magic of musicals that I wish it never ended...

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Woody Allen's latest film proved to be quite challenging in terms of providing a new perspective of the love relationships between people. What is the small ingredient that couples need to maintain a happy balance and not die of boredom? Quite a tough question, isn't it? Presumably, we did not get a straight answer from the movie, but were left with the feeling that problems never end. In addition, the city of Barcelona is also used as a character that influences and transforms the views of the rest. I think the film is beautifully shot, showing not only some main attractions, but also the small alleys of Barcelona. Regarding character development, Penelope Cruz sums it up with one sentence addressed to Scarlett Johansson - "You suffer from chronical dissatisfacion", which is in the root of all of women's actions in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Moreover, the film can be compared with Revolutionary Road, suggesting a similar theme and because the characters don't overcome their fatal flaws at the end.
Finally,I've started watching more spanish films with Javier Bardem since I saw this one and just now I realized it was him in No country for old men...

Revolutionary Road

The week kicked off quite well- a sound class !!! I am seriously considering doing silent cinema from now on :) And speaking of sound, the soundtrack of Revolutionary road is quite nice. It's in my top ten non-intrusive ones together with Changeling. I suppose the theme of the film is something like : what if we don't live our lives the way we imagine it and let the dissatisfaction grow to the extend that it destroys them? To me the story felt quite realistic. Seeing Kate and Leonardo reunited on the screen after so many years created a bit of romantic expectations, but nevertheless
the unhappy couple worked just as fine. Very clever to include the character of Jack, the insane mathematician who is the only sane actually. Some people warned me that the film is extremely depressing (much more than The Reader... which is hard to imagine!), and still I feel a kind of relieved after watching it. Probably because it made me look closer into the variety of themes in the dysfunctional family, something that I haven't thought of writing before. What is also interesting about Revolutionary Road is the fast paste driving the narrative, suggesting to the viewer so clearly what is to come later in the very first 10 min.
I am wondering now who is going to get the Oscar? Angelina or Kate ! Hopefully not someone else...